Reclosable cartons



May 12, 1959 P. A. ToENsMEIER RECLQSABLE cAR'roNs 2 Sheets-Sheet 1FiledSept. 30. 1957 FIG. l

United .States Patent RECLOSABLE CARTONS Patrick A. Toeusmeier, Hamden,Coun., assignor to The New Haven Board & Carton Company, New Haven,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application September 30, 1957,Serial No. 686,987

6 Claims. (Cl. 229-44) This invention relates to cartons having aremovable and replaceable top and resides more particularly in a novelcarton of the type described which requires less paperboard than priorsimilar cartons of the same capacity and is accordingly more economicalto manufacture.

In one form of carton having a removable and replaceable top, the bodyofthe carton is formed of connectedl front, rear, and end walls and thetopincludes a plurality of connected panels of such dimensions as togive it the cross-section of the carton body. The lower edge of the topis hinged to the upper edge of theA rear wall of the body and the topcanbe swung on the hinge away from the upper end of the body to expose thecontents of the carton and then swung back to close the body again. Thecarton is provided with guiding and retaining means projecting above theupper end of the body and, when the top is swung to closed position, ittelescopes over such means and is engaged and held in place thereby. Theguiding and retaining means usually take the form of one or more panelsseparated from the carton body and secured in place against the insideof the body. As the panels are not part of the body blank, theyrepresent additional material and placing and securing them in place areextra manufacturing operations, so that the use of the panels adds tothe cost of production.

The carton of the invention includes a topy hinged to the upper edge ofthe rear wall of the body and means, which guide the top as it is movedtoward closed position and vthen engage the top from within to retain itin that position. In the new carton, such guiding and retaining meansare formed by one or more flaps partially severed from the portions ofthe blank forming the walls of the carton body, such aps being securedto the remainder of the blank along transverse fold lines. In theproduction of the carton, the flaps are reversely folded so that theylie within the body, and they are secured to the inner surface thereof.In that position, the flaps project above the upper edge of the frontwall of the body in position to guide and be received within the top asthe latter is moved toward closed position. Since the laps are sectionsfrom within the outline of the parts of the blank forming lthe carton.body walls, their use does not require additional material, and they canbe folded and secured in'placey in the usual operations, to which theblank ii', subjected to convert it into a carton.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made tothe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank forone form of the new carton;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a blank for a modifiedform of the new carton;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of `a carton made from the blank of Fig.l;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective, with parts broken away, of a cartonmade from the blank of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is -a plan View of a blank for another modiiied form of the newcarton; and,

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of a carton made from the blank of Fig.5.

The blank shown in Fig. 1 is for a carton oblong in cross-section and itincludes a rear wall 10, an end wall 11, a front wall 12, a secondendwall 13, and a glue flap 14 connected along fold lines in the orderstated.

Bottom closing flaps 15, 16, 17, and 18 are secured along fold lines tothe lower edges of walls 10, 11, 12 and 13,

respectively, and these flaps can be turned in uponv one another andsecured together to form the bottom closure of the carton.

At its upper end, the blank is formed with parts mak` ing up a removableand replaceable top and these parts` include a rear panel 19, an endpanel 20, a front panel 21, another end panel 22, and a glue'flapI 23connected -along fold lines in the order named. vThe rear panel 19" isconnected along its lower edge of the upper edge ofv A flap 29 ispartially severed from the front Vwall 12l and the end walls 11 and 13of the carton body and the ap extends entirely across the frontwall andis hinged thereto along a transverse fold line 30. The end sections 29a,29b of the ap are wider thanv the central portion andv are traversed bythe fold lines between the end walls 11, 13 and the front wall 12 of thebody. Preferably,

the end sections have curved cuts 31, 32, the ends of which lie in thefold lines across the sections and, when the sections are bent on thefold lines, the cuts define the ends of small tongues 31a, 32aprojecting outwardly.

In converting the blank of Fig. l to carton form, the flap 29 isreversely folded upon fold line 30 to cause it to lie against the innerlsurface of the bl-ank and it iS,

secured in that position. When the flap is thus folded, the entire flapprojects upwardly beyond the cut separating panels 20, 21, 22 from thecorresponding walls 11,

12, 13. The blank is next folded on the fold lines separating adjacentwalls and adjacent panels and the folding is continued until the glueflap 14 overlies the rear wall 10 and the glue ap 23 overlies the rearpanel 19. The flaps are then secured in position by gluing and thebottom of the body is closed by turning in flaps 15, 16, 17, 18 andsecuring them together in overlapping relation. The top closing aps 25,26, 27, and 28 are similarly folded inward and securedfupon one anotherto close the upper end of the top'. described, the end sections 29a, 29hof ap 29 arebent along the fold lines traversing them, so that thetongues 31a, 32a project outwardly in thev plane of one part of each endsection and across the edge of the other.

In the completedcarton, the lower edges of panels 20,

21, and 22 of the top overlie the upper edge of flap 29,

since the central section of the flap projects upwardly above the upwardedge of front wall 12, and the end sections 29a, 29b of the ap projectupwardly above the upper edges of walls 11, 12, and 13 at the cornersbetween the front and end walls. When the carton is to be opened, thetop is swung on the hinge connection 24 so, that it moves away from thebody of the carton and exposes the contents. When the carton is to bereclosed, the top is sw-ung back and, in such movement, thetoptelescopes over the exposed portions of ap 29. These portions of theflap guide the top to closed position and the tongues 31a, 32a engagethe end panels of the top.. from within to retain the top in place,

Patented Maly 12, 1959 In folding the blank as The blank shown inFig.v 2is generally similar to that of Fig. l and includes a rear wall 33, anend Wall 34, a front wall 35, and an end wall 36 secured together alongfold lines in the order named. A glue flap 37 is secured to the louteredge ofend wall 36 along a fold line and a partition flap 38 issimilarlysecured tothe outer edge of ap 3.7. 'A glue flap 39-is securedalong a fold line tothe outer `edge of partition 38.

The .blank of Fig. 2 is provided with parts forming a removabley andreplaceable top and such parts include a rear panel 40, arr-end ipanel41, -a front panel 42, an end panel 43, and a glue ap 44 connected alongfold lines in the` order stated. The lower edge of the rear panel 40 isl,connected along a fold line 45 forming a hinge connection to the upperedge of rear wall 43, while the panels 41, 42,l 43 4are :separated by acut from end walls 34, 35, 36, respectively, and the glue flap 44'issimilarly separated from the glue. ap 3.7. At its lower end, the :blankhas flaps 46 and 47 connected along fold lines to the lower edges ofwalls 34, 36 and a ap 48 with Ka tuck flap 49 is similarly connected toa lower edge of :rear wall 33. Flaps 46-49, incl., form parts of abottom closure and the. top is provided with a similar closure made upof ilaps, 50, `51 secured to the upper edges of end panels 41, 43,lrespectively, anda flap 52 having atuck llap 53 and secured to the upperedge of the front panel 42.

A ap 54 is partially severed from the end wall 34 and the front Wall 35of the blank and is hinged along its top to the two walls. The flap istraversed by the fold line, which separates the two walls, and is formedwith -a curved cut 55 with its ends in the fold line. A flap 56 similarin all respects to ap 54 is partially severed from the front wall 35 andthe end wall 36 and ilap 56 has a curved cut 57 with its ends in thefold line, which traverses it. The cuts 55, 57 define retaining tongues55a, 57a similar in purpose and function to the tongues In theconversion of the blank of Fig. 2 to a carton, the` flaps 54, 56 arereversely folded and secured in position to. the inner surface of theblank by glue areas 58, 59, respectively. yGlue is applied toappropriate areas on the blank and the blank is then folded to cause theglue flap 37 to lie against and ber secured to the inner surface of therear wall 33. Similarly, the glue- Hap 37 is caused, to be secured tothev inner surface of the front walll 35 and glue flap 44 to be securedvto the rear panel 40; After the body .of the. carton is squared, flaps46, 4 7 al the bottom of the, blank are turned in, the ap 48 isyfoldedto overlie them, and the tuck flap 49 is inserted in place. The topv issimilarly closed by the inward folding of flaps 50., 51 and 52 and theinsertion of the tuck ilap 53.

In the completed carton, the-upper ends of the reversely folded aps 54,56 project upwardly above the upper edgesl of the front and end walls toserve 'as guiding and retaining means for the top. and, lsince the apsare formed of, material within the outline of the parts of the blankforming the carton body walls, their use does not requite additionalmaterial. The partition 38- subdivides the, interior ofA the carton intotwo compartments and, in the cartondisclosed, the compartments are ofunequal size, but, by proper proportioning of the glue ap 37, theecompartments may be of any relative size desired.

Theblank. shown inl-lig.` is similar in all respects to 4 the blank ofFig. 1v except that it includes a pair of aps 60, 61, each partiallysevered from the front Wall 62 and from one of the end walls 63, 64. Theflaps are connected to the walls, from which they are cut, alongrespective fold lines 60a, 61a and, in the completed carton, the aps arereversely folded upon lines 60a, 61a, so that they project upwardlyabove the top edges of the front and end walls. Each ap is traversed bya fold line between the front wall and one of the -end walls and flap 60is provided with a curved cut 65 having its ends in the fold line, Whileflap 6-1 has a similar -cut the completed carton, the portions of theflaps projecting above the upper edges of the front and end walls -serveas guiding means for the top 67 hin-ged to the upper edge of the rearwall 68. The curved cuts 65, 66 define small tongues 69, 70 whichproject youtwardly in position to engage the inner surface of the top asit is swung to closed position and retain the top in that position.

`I claim:

l. A carton, which comprises a body lformed of front, rear, and endwalls connected together, a closure for the bottom of the body securedto the lower ends of the Walls, a removable and replaceable top for thebody made -up of front, rear, and end panels secured togetherV and aclosure for the upper end .of the top secured to the upper ends of thepanels, the lower edge of the rear panel being attached to the upperedge of the rear wall by a hin-ge connection, and at least one flapformed ofparts of the walls within the outline thereof by partialseverance therefrom, the flap being secured to the body along atransverse fold line, the ap being reversely folded to lie Within thebody and project above the upper edgel of the yfront wall in position tolbe received within the top, when the latter is moved from open toclosed position.

2. The carton of claim l', in which the flap extends across the frontwall of the body and the ends of the flap are sections severed from theend walls of lthe '.body.V

3. The carton of claim l, which has a pair of flaps cut partly from thefront wall and partly from respective end Walls, the aps being hinged tothe front andrespective end walls and reversely yfolded to lie withinthe body and project above the upper edges of the front andrespectiveendv walls.

4. The carton of claim 1, in which the interior of the body issubdivided into two compartments by a vertical partition extendingbetween. and having its ends connected to the front. and rear. walls. y

5. The carton of claim 4, in which av glue ap 'having one lateral edgesecured to the vertical edgel of one of the end walls is attached to theinner surface of an adjacent wall and the partition is an extension fromthe' outer lateral edge of the glue flap.

6. The carton of claim l, in which the flap projectsA above the upperedges of both the iront wall and at least one end wall.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,247,870' Chalmers July l, 194'1 2,473,055` Guyer June 14, 19492,768,778 Ferguson Oct. l30, 1956 2,803,394 Ringler Aug.' 20, 19572,824,684 Ahlers Feb. 25,1958"

